"The Burton children are forever falling out with their gaunt, grim,
illiterate and ultimately one-eyed (a spark from the anvil having
gone the wrong way) paterfamilias."
DJ Taylor; The Blacksmith's Progress; The Guardian (London, UK);
Apr 17, 2004.

"He (Isaac Stern) taught formally, gave master classes worldwide, and
was the paterfamilias of a generation of illustrious American musicians,
including cellist Yo-Yo Ma and violinists Pinchas Zuckerman, and Itzhak
Perlman."
Virtuoso With a Heart; The Australian (Sydney, Australia); Sep 25, 2001.

Here's a quick question: What do the words "perpetrate" and "patriot"
have in common, other than the fact that both begin with the letter p?
The two words originated from the Latin root pater (father). When we
perpetrate something, we cause to bring it about or, in other words, we
father it. A patriot is a fellow country-man, one having the same
forefathers.

Other words derived from the same Latin root are expatriate (ex- +
patria, literally out of the father land), patron (literally, one who is
like father, a protector or advocate). Here are a few more: patriarch,
paternal, patrician, and patrimony. It's fascinating how the same root
gives birth to such a diverse range of words - not unlike children of a
father, where each child has much in common yet each has different
interests and temperament.

Ah, the joy of words! When we consider their derivations, we are, in
fact, tracing their lineage and drawing their genealogical chart,
identifying their fathers and forefathers.

This week we'll trace the origin of words about relations.

X-Bonus

Power is of two kinds. One is obtained by the fear of punishment and the
other by acts of love. Power based on love is a thousand times more
effective and permanent than the one derived from fear of punishment.
-Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

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